For this month’s Therapy Tune-Up, we are introducing a health and wellness challenge! It is easy to participate and easy to make progress.

After learning the steps to create your paper art, origami can become a meditative activity to aid in developing your mindfulness practice. You can use any kind of paper in any color or pattern.

Any practice or activity can be improved with increased mindfulness. Helping your mind and body engage eating with more curiosity can help reduce cravings and establish healthier eating habits.

Use household ingredients to make this therapeutic tool for stress relief and strengthening. Many individuals use stress balls as a tool for relief. Putty can be made at home as an alternative for stress relief or other uses such as easing arthritic pain.

Write the story of your life and use the practice of writing for self-affirmation. Writing your life story can have a positive effect on your mental health as well as cognitive functioning. Particularly when focusing on difficult events, writing can help you release feelings of tension while allowing your mind to make sense of chaotic experiences.

Start a new therapeutic hobby and and enjoy the meditative practice of macrame! Practicing macrame utilizes fine motor skills through finger and hand strengthening. Work on improving visual motor skills, hand eye coordination, executive function with sequencing, and stamina.

Learn how to reduce pain from arthritis through visualization and use your mind to help you overcome difficulties. Pain can release stress hormones throughout your body which can cause additional damage. Guided imagery is a way to use a meditative practice to stop your body from releasing stress hormones.

This craft uses fine motor skills to cut, trace and paint if you choose. Work on visual motor skills with tracing and cutting with accuracy, along with hand strength and dexterity to cut and assemble the house. We use our executive functions when following steps of sequencing correctly as well.

Planting a seed and tending to its growth uses fine motor skills with pinching, pouring, and scooping the seeds and dirt. Work on development of language skills to describe the items. This activity includes sensory exploration through different textures, socials skills to communicate and share (if doing with another person). Utilize executive functions through sequencing each step in the correct order.

Nature provides a sensory experience with visual, gross motor, and auditory input. Through the different sights, sounds and textures, balance and coordination through walking on uneven terrain, linguistic skills to name animals or plants that are seen during your walk, this experience has so many therapeutic benefits for all ages.

Some individuals with multiple sclerosis may find it difficult to exercise. Swimming is a great option due to its low impact on your joints, less intense resistance for muscles, and the ease of movement from your body’s buoyancy in water.